Numbering-machine.



C. A. & F. MEISEL.

NUMBERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17. 1913. RENEWED NOV. 1.1915.

Patented June 6, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WT/VESSZS.

C. A. & F. MEISEL.

NUMBERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-17.1913. RENEWED NOV. 1,1915.

Patented June 6; 1916.

4 5HEETS$HEET 2 C. A. & F; IVIEISEL.

NUMBERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-17,1913. RENEWED NOV. 1,1915.

1,186,020; PaLtentedJune6,1916.

A M 4SHEETS-SHEET3.

C. A. & F. MEISEL.

NUMBERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.17, I9l3- RENEWED Nov. I, l9l5.

1 1 86,020 Patented June 6, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. MEISEL AND FRANCIS MEISEL, 0F DORCI HESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN ORS TO MEISEL PRESS AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 015 BOSTON,

MASSACHUSETTS.

N'UMBERING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Application filed March 17, 1913, Serial No. 755,003. Renewed November 1, 1915. Serial No. 59,146.

To all who: it may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES AUSTIN MEISEL and FRANCIS MEISEL, citizens of the United States, residing at Dorchester, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Numbering-Machines, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to numbering machines and is herein illustrated in connection with a machine in which a plurality of numbering heads are caused to act in succession to print a series of numerals, for example from O to 999, then to repeat the last numerals of the series a given number of times, and then to repeat the series, this repetition of the series and repetition of the last numerals of the series between each complete series taking place automatically and continuing until the machine is stopped.

Before proceeding to a statement of the present inventiona brief outline of the mode of operation of machines of this type will be given. Referring now to Figure 5 which shows a three-disk numbering head of the type set forth in detail in U. S. Patent No. 989,860, the actuating pawls are mounted on a pawl-carrier 2 which is actuated by the oscillation of the numbering-head arm 4 pivoted at 6. said arm being provided with a roller 8 which travels in the cam-way ofa stationary but adjustable numbering-head cam in the usual manner. The particular construction of the numbering-head forms no part of the present invention, and it should be understood that the number of disks employed as well as the arrangement .of the numerals on each disk depends upon the number of heads which make up a set. In the illustrative machine each set comprises three numbering-heads which are arranged tobe rotated bodily in the same path and to print successively upon a moving web so that each head. as it comes into operative position. prints a numeral greater by three than it printed in its preceding operative position. the other two having meanwhile printed the two intervening numerals. Thus if the three numbering-heads in a set are designated as No. 1. No. 2 and No. 3. No. 1 will print 000, No. 2 001 and No. 3 002;

' ever, to cause the oscillation of the arm 4 to cease so as to interrupt the series of numerals said cam is adjustable so as to make its cam-way substantially concentric with the axis about which the numbering-head or heads are rotating. Hitherto this adjustment of the numbering-head cam has been brought about automatically by means of a cam-disk having a notch in its periphery and a ratchet wheel attached to its side, said wheel being rotated by a pawl connected through suitable cranks and links with the rotating shaft by Which the numberingheads are carried, said notch permitting the rise and fall of an arm which in turn through suitable connections serves to adjust the numbering-head cam first into its operative and then into its inoperative position.

The present invention is concerned with a certain novel form of numbering-head cam and certain novel mechanism for controlling its adjustment and consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts which will be described in connection with an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective of a portion of a machine in which the present invention is embodied, the numbering-head cam being above, said cam-way wheels. Fig. 5 is a perspective of a numbering-head. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 of Fig. 7, showing the provision for changing the gearing between the numbering-head shaft and the driving pawl. Fig. 7 is an elevation showing a portion of the mechanism adjusted for use with two numbering-heads, the two heads being shown conventionally at D and E and Fig. 8 is a similar elevation showing an adjustment suitable for three numbering-heads the three heads being shown conventionally at A, B and C. This figure shows the parts adjusted as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, upon a rotatable shaft 1 is mounted an impression roller 3 over which the strip of paper travels, said roller cooperating with the numbering-heads (not shown in these figures) which are carried by the numbering-head carrier or cylinder 5, said numbering-heads being arranged to print successively, as has been explained. The numbering-head cylinder 5 is fast to a rotatable shaft 11 which is encircled by the numbering-head cam 7; and the rollers 8 of the numbering-head arms 4 travel in the camway or groove 9 in said cam. \Vhen, therefore, the cam-way 9 is concentric or substantially so with the axis of the shaft 11, as in Figs. 1 and 3, no oscillation will be imparted to the numbering-head arms, and consequently no change in the numbers will take place; that is, whatever numbers are in operative position in the numbering-heads will be repeatedly printed. On the other hand, when the cam groove 9 is eccentric to the axis of the shaft 11., as in Fig. 2, the disks of the numbering-heads will be intermittently rotated to change the numbers in proper sequence.

. The numbering-head cam 7 is made in two parts one of which is provided with a slide bearing 17 which is slidable on a square arm 15 held fixed upon a stud shaft 26 by a pinch screw 18. The other part is provided with a similar bearing 13 which is held fast in adjusted position by a set screw 14. The bearing 13 remains stationary during the operation of the machine, but the slide hearing 17 is moved at predetermined intervals to interrupt at the end of a predetermined series, the sequence of the numbers which are being printed and to start the series again after an interval. The parts of the numbering-head cam are made with overlapping sections which slide upon one another so as to preserve the continuity of the walls of the cam-way, and the extent of movement of the part 17 necessary to produce oscillation of the arms of the numbering-heads is slight, said extent being exaggerated in Fig. 2 in order to show the movement more clearly.

The illustrative machine is adapted to print a thousand numbers, then to repeat each of the last three numbers twice and then to start a new series; and the interruption and resumption of the oscillation of the numbering-head arms are brought about by automatically sliding the member 17 together with the attached right-hand portion of the cam 7 along the arm 15 toward and away from the other portion of the cam, it being evident that when the right-hand portion of the cam groove 9 is eccentric to the shaft, as shown in Fig. 2, the numerals in the numbering-heads will be changed, while when the parts of the cam are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the same numbers will be repeatedly printed. In the present machine three numbering-heads are provided arranged sixty degrees apart about the axis of the shaft 11. as indicated conventionally in Fig. 8 at A, B and C.

In order to move the slide 17 (and with it that portion of the cam of which it forms a part) at the proper time, the following mechanism is provided: Pivoted at 19 to the movable portion of the cam is a link 21 the other end of which is pivoted at 23 to an actuating arm the hub 27 of which is fastened by a pinch-screw :29 to a rock shaft 31, said rock shaft having mounted thereon the hub of a lever 37. The connection between the lever and the rock shaft 31 will be set forth ,below. This connection is such, however, that, during the operation of the machine, upward movement of the lever rocks the shaft 31 in one direction to separate the parts of the numbering-head cam, and downward movement of said lever rocks said shaft in the opposite direction to bring the parts of said cam together. A spring-pressed pin 39, mounted in a housing on the frame of the machine, urges the lever 37 downwardly at all times, while upward movement of the lever is accomplished by the cooperation of a cam-disk 45 having a notch 43 with a block 41 mounted on said lover. The cam-disk 15 is rotated by mechanism presently to be described in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. and during the time that the block 41 remains in the notch $3 the same numbers are repeatedly printed, but as soon as the block rides up onto the high portion of the cam the numbers begin to be changed and continue to be changed until the cam-disk has nearly completed a revolution and the block drops into the notch again.

To move the cam-disk 45 properly there is provided on its side :1 lug 47 which is arranged to cooperate with a similar lug +9 on a ratchet wheel 51 to form a one-way clutch whereby rotation of the ratchet wheel in a clockwise direction causes rotation of the cam-disk, while rotation of the cam-disk in the same direction is permitted without moving the ratchet wheel. In other words. the cam-disk may be caused to run ahead of the ratchet wheel for a certain distance so that subsequent rotation of the ratchet wheel will for a time fail to cause rotation of the disk. The cam-disk 45 is held upon a headed sleeve 53 (see Fig. which is rotatably mounted upon a stud shaft but 15 held from free rotation by a friction brake 57. To the outer end of the sleeve 53 is keyed or otherwise attached an arm 59 provided at its outer end with ratchet teeth, six being provided in the illustrative machine. The arm, ratchet wheels, disk and sleeve are held in place by a washer 60 and nut 62.

The ratchet wheel '51 is provided with 100 teeth of uniform depth; and mounted beside it is a master ratchet wheel 61 of slightly greater diameter provided with 90 teeth of the same depth as those on the inner ratchet wheel 51 and with ten teeth (every tenth one as indicated at 63) somewhat deeper, the depth of the teeth being so proportioned that when a pawl, presently to be described, is operated the inner wheel 51 is turned completely around once for every ten revolutions of the outer wheel 61. The ratchet wheels are rotated by a pawl 65 which is held toward them by a spring-pressed pin 67, said pawl being pivoted at 69 to a lever 71, fulcrumed at 73 and pivoted at its outer end at 75 to a link 77. This link is in turn pivoted on a crank pin 79 carried by a gear 81 which is driven through an intermediate gear 83 from a gear 85 fast to the numbering-head shaft 11. In the illustrative machine the gears are so proportioned that for every revolution of the shaft 11 the gear 81 makes three revolutions, and the ratchet wheel 61 is rotated adistance equal to the extent of three teeth. Thus the ratchet wheel 61 moves the distance of one tooth for each number printed. And, as has been described above, after the ratchet wheel 61 has been moved a. distance equal to one thousand teeth (that is has been rotated ten times) the ratchet wheel 51 will have made one complete revolution. Owing, however, to the extent of the notch 13, it is necessary that the cam-disk 45 shall have been rotated somewhat less than one revolution since otherwise the block 41 would fall into the notch 13 before the thousand numbers had been printed. This partial rotation of the disk which corresponds to one revolution of the ratchet wheel 51 is possible by reason of the lugs 47 and 49 which form the one-way clutch, since the mechanism at the beginning of the printing of each series of numerals is in the position shown in Fig. 2 with the disk 15 six teeth ahead of the ratchet wheel 51 so that said ratchet wheel must be moved the distance of six teeth before the lug 49 thereon contacts with the lug 17 on the disk 15 and thereby reaches a position in which said disk will be rotated. The angular movement of the disk -15 with respect to the wheel 51 which causes separation of the lugs 17 and 19 is brought about by the action of the pawl 65 upon the teeth at the end of the arm 59.

During the time that the arm 59 is being acted upon by the pawl 65 it is thus necessary that the ratchet wheels should remain stationary. Accordingly a Shield 87 is carried by a lever 89 which is rotatable upon the shaft 55, said lever being pivoted at 1 to a link 93 which is in turn connected with the arm 37 in such a manner that'when the arm 37 is moved to set the numbering-head cam 7 the shield 87 is simultaneously moved into one or the other of its positions.

In order to permit manual adjustment of the numbering-head cam and with it of the shield 87 the following connection between the various parts is provided. The lever 37. the hub 35 of which is loose upon the shaft 31, carries a. pin 95 to which an eccentric 97 is fast, said eccentric being received between the arms of a yoke 99 the hub of which is fast to the shaft 31. A crank arm 101 is fast to the pin 95 and to this arm is pivoted the link 93 which operates the shield The spring 103 which acts upon the pm 39 is verv stiff, so'that when the eccentric 97 is turned in either direction by the handle 105. the arm 37 remains stationary but the shaft 31 is rocked to adjust the numberinghead cam. The handle 105 is provided wvitlr a spring-pressed pin 107, shown best in Pig. 1, the end of which fits in one of two sockets provided in the face of one of the arms of the yoke 99. It is thus apparent that the numbering-head cam may be adplsted and the shield 87 moved in front of the pawl 65 at any time during the operatlon of the machine.

During the time that the arm 59, the sleeve 53 and the cam-disk 45 are being rotated. the ratchet wheels 51 and 61 are held stationary by retaining pawls. one of which is shown at 109, which are held 111 place by spring-pressed pins one of which is shown at 111. These retaining pawls are so shaped and mounted, that besides pr c venting movement of the ratchet wheels in the rearward direction they oppose movement of the wheels in the forward direction sufficiently to hold them stationary while the sleeve 53 and with it the cam-disk 45 is being rotated by engagement of the pawl 65 with the teeth on the arm 59.

The operation of the machine as thus far described is as follows: lVith the numbering disks of the numbering-heads set at zero. the mimbering-heads arranged as 111- dicated in Fig. 8, and the parts of the machine in the positions indicated in Fig. 2 with the lug 47 of the cam-disk l5 aheadof the lug 19 of the ratchet wheel. the mach ne is started. As the numbering-head carrier revolves. the numberingheads travel with it. and the rollers S coiiperate with the cameach number printed the pawl moves the master ratchet wheel 61 the distance of one tooth; and, whenever one of the deep teeth (33 arrives opposite the pawl, the ratchet wheel 51 is also moved the same distance. After the ratchet wheel 51 has been moved the distance of six teeth the lug 19 contacts with the lug l7 and thereafter the cam-disk 45 moves with it until the cam-disk has made almost a complete revolution, whereupon the block 41 drops into the notch 43 thereby rocking the shaft 31 to close the n1unbering-head cam T, the angular movement of the lever 37 serving also to move the shield 87 in front of the pawl. By this time the arm 59 has come into position to have its forward tooth engaged by said pawl; and. during the next two revolutions of the shaft 11. while the numbers are being repeated. the pawl acts on the arm to move it together with the cam-disk 45, both ratchet wheels being held stationary dun ing this time so that the cam-disk gets ahead of them and the lugs 47 and 49 are separated. In Fig. 1 the parts are shown in the position occupied during this part of the operation of the machine. As the pawl engages the last tooth on the arm 59 and moves it directly for the last time, the block 41 rides up the inclined end of the notch 43. thereby throwing the parts into the posi-' tions shown in Fig. 2 readyto cause the series of numbers to be repeated. Although it has been stated above that the machine is started with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2. it is obvious that the start might be made equally as well with the parts in the position shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The only difference in result would befthat the first numbers would be repeatedly printed until the pawl 65 had moved the parts to the position shown in Fig. 2.

In order to promote clearness a specific machine arranged to print one thousand numbers. then to repeat the last three numbers twice and then to repeat the thousand numbers has been described. It should be understood. however. that one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide mechanism whereby different series of numbers may readily be printed. For example.

likewise be changed.

without further disclosure it is apparent that the ratchet wheels may readily be changed and that if the master ratchet wheel were replaced by one having a greater num ber of deep teeth the series of numbers printed would be less. 01' again. .both ratchetwheels may be replaced to produce a third different result. the machine to vary the series of numbers printed is not. however. limited to these changes since the gearing between the numboring-head shaft 11 and the pawl (35 may One simple construction for permitting this change is illustrated The capability of in the drawings. Referring to Fig. 2 the intermediate gear 83 is carried by an arm 115 provided witha curved slot- 117 through which passes a clamping bolt 119 of usual construction so that said arm may be adjusted to provide for the use of a different gear in place of the gear 81. In the illust-ative machine the gear 83 is a wide one and may be reversed end for end so as to mesh with a gear 121 in the manner illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. In order to illustrate ina general way the capabilities of the machine there are shown in Fig. 7 two numberin -heads, the gearing in this case between the shaft 11v and the pawl 65 being such that the master ratchet wheel (not shown) would be moved the distance of two teeth for each revolution of said shaft. Let it be supposed that the master ratchet wheel in this case is provided with twenty deep teeth instead of ten, the other parts of the mechanism except the numbering-heads and the gearing remaining unchanged. In such case. and with properly constructed numbering-heads, the machine would print a series of five hundred numbers, then repeat the last two numbers three times and. then repeat the series. It is obviously unnecessary to illustrate and describe the operation of other gears. arms and ratchet wheels, since they would differ from thoseshown merely in size and number of teeth, or in the location and number of deep teeth in the case of the master ratchet wheel. Atten tion is directed particularly however. to this ready replaceability of parts and to the fact that various combinations of parts may be made use of to interrupt the series of num bers at various points.

Although the invention has been set forth in connection with a particular machine, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machine shown and described.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and 'desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: v

1. In a machine of the class described the combination with a rotary shaft and a plurality of numbering-heads mounted to rotate with said shaft. spaced angularly about said shaft and arranged-to act cooperatively to print .one series of numerals several times. each numbering head as it comes into operative position printing a numeral greater by .the number of numbering heads than the nul to be changed of a two-part cam for controlling said actuation, one of said parts being mounted for manual adjustment, means for holding one of said parts in ad justed position, and automatic means for periodically adjusting the other part.

3. In a machine of the class described numbering-head cam controlling mechanism comprising a member the position of which determines the operativeness or inoperativeness of the numbering-head cam, a ratchet wheel for moving said member and automatic means for moving said member at intervals independently of said wheel.

4. In a machine of the class described numbering-head cam controlling mechanism comprising a cam-disk the angular position of which determines the operativeness or inoperativeness of the numbering-head cam,

a ratchet wheel for rotating said disk, a master ratchet wheel for rotating said firstnamed wheel and means for moving said disk angularly independently of said wheels.

5. In a machine of the class described numbering-head cam controlling mechanism comprising a cam-disk the angular position of Which determines the operativeness or inoperativeness of thenumbering-head cam, a ratchet wheel for rotating said disk, a master ratchet wheel for rotating said firstnamed wheel, a pawl for rotating said ratchet wheels, an arm connected with said disk and provided with ratchet teeth said arm rotating with said disk whereby said arm periodically comes into engagement with said pawl, and means for preventing said pawl from engaging said ratchet wheels during its engagement with said arm.

6. In a machine of the class described numbering-head cam controlling mechanism comprising a member the angular position of which determines the operativeness or inoperativeness of the numbering-head cam, a ratchet Wheel for moving said member, a pawl operatively connected with said numbering-head and arranged to rotate said ratchet for governing the action of said said first-named ratchet wheel.

7. In a. machine of the class described, numbering-head cam controlling mechanism comprising a member the angular position of which determines the operativeness or inoperativeness of the numbering-head cam, a. ratchet wheel for moving said member, a pawl operatively connected with the numbering-head and arranged to rotate said pawl upon ative, a hub loose-on said shaft wheel, and a master ratchet wheelratchet wheel, and a master ratchet wheel for governing the action of said pawl upon said first-named ratchet wheel, said master ratchet wheel being replaceable to vary the effective action of said pawl.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a rotary shaft and a plurality of numbering-heads mounted to 1'0- tate with said shaft and arranged to act successively to print a series of numbers of a cam adjustment of which operates to interrupt the series, and automatic means for causing said adjustment said means comprising an angularly movable member, a ratchet wheel, a one-way clutch between said member and Wheel, a master ratchet wheel, and connecting means between said shaft and master ratchet wheel.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a rotary shaft and a plurality of numbering-heads mounted to rotate therewith and arranged to act successively to print a series of numbers of a cam adjustment of which operates to interrupt the series, and automatic means for causing said adjustment, said means comprising a cam-disk, a ratchet wheel, connecting means between. said shaft and ratchet wheel for causing said wheel to be moved during each revolution of said shaftthe distance of as many teeth as there are numbering-heads and connecting means between said ratchet Wheel and cam-disk, whereby one revolution of said ratchet wheel causes a fraction of a revolution of said disk.

10. In a machine of the class described, numbering-head cam controlling mechanism comprising a. rock shaft angular movement of which in one direction renders said cam operative and in the other direction inoperand provided with an arm, a block carried by said arm, arotary disk, a spring for urging said arm toward said disk, a yoke fast to said rock shaft, alpin carried by said arm, an eccentric carried by said pin'and located between the arms of saidyoke, and means for rotating said eccentric.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. MEISEL. FRANCIS MEISEL.

Witnesses:

LAWRENCE S. BEARSE, CHARLES D. M. BISHOP. 

